My Top 2023 Reads
Full transparency: 2023 was a really odd reading year for me. I started the year with a very ambitious goal of reading 100 books by the end of the year. In 2022, I met my goal of reading at least 75 books, so 100 didn’t seem that far off at the time.
But between wedding planning, being in a bridal party, traveling 11 times, a promotion, and the death of my beloved grandpa, I ended November with less than 60 books read. I finished 19 dark romance novellas in December to try to reach my goal, ended up in a book slump, and gave up entirely. I’m planning to try again this year and hopefully have better luck meeting my goal.
With that being said, I completed a lot of entertaining, but maybe not necessarily quality reads. (Not because dark romance novels can’t be quality reads, but because a lot of them were riddled with typos lol.) In no particular order, here are my top reads of 2023 that I feel comfortable admitting that I read haha.
Black Candle Women
I loved this book! The Montrose women live together in California. Augusta is the great-grandmother, who brought her granddaughters, Victoria and Willow, to California from New Orleans when they were young. The women have been keeping a secret from Victoria's daughter Nickie: any man they fall in love with will die. They have avoided telling her this secret until Nickie brings a boy home one day. Victoria struggles with how to reveal this secret to Nickie and also tell her that the women practice hoodoo. They have a special power that has been passed down from generations.
I loved the chaotic family dynamic in this book. Although it was a little predictable, the characters kept me invested. Each woman has her own unique struggles, and I loved seeing them work through their past trauma and issues with each other to protect Nickie.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Young Gifted and Black, Too
Young, Gifted, and Black Too is a great read for all ages. I love that it has a combination of lesser known figures in Black History, as well as modern figures who are still contributing to history today. It was a fun read for me, and the illustrations were beautiful. I would recommend this for history lessons, bedtime stories, or anyone who wants to learn more about Black historical figures.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Fancy Meeting You Here
Elise's three best friends are all getting married within a few months of each other, and she is a bridesmaid and florist for all three of them. We soon learn that Elise is also at risk of losing her business, but hasn't told her friends. Her friend Beth keeps trying to set her up on a blind date since she is now the only single person in their group.
At her friend Rebecca's wedding, she meets Ben, Rebecca's younger brother. Although Ben is stand-offish and rude, he hires Elise as the florist for his mom's campaign. As they continue to work together, Ben and Elise start to fall for each other.
This was a cute, lighthearted read. It had funny moments and banter as the two main characters go from enemies(ish) to lovers.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Forget Me Not
I think this may be my favorite book I've read this year. Ama is a wedding planner/designer. She was originally working for a larger wedding planning company before deciding to leave and start her own business. She books the biggest wedding of her career. One of the brides, Hazel Renee, is a famous influencer with millions of followers, so if the wedding goes well, it would be a life-changing for Ama. However, she debates canceling when she finds out the brides want to book her ex, Elliot as the florist.
The author incorporated both of their POVs and two timelines (past and present) to show how they met, got together, and broke up, while also telling the story of how they plan Hazel's wedding together. I love the creativity they each show when they're working on their designs. This book also has lots of spice, so keep that in mind. I think without it, the plot can stand on its own. I enjoyed trying to figure out how Ama and Elliot broke up and seeing all the drama that builds up to the wedding.
Good for those who love enemies to friends to lovers, second chance romance, grumpy/sunshine, and weddings.
Rating: 5/5 stars
Brown and Gay in LA
After reading the Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race, I knew I had to pick up Brown and Gay in LA. (It also helped that I met the author after attending one of his sessions at a DEI in higher education conference, and he was even more likable and engaging in person than he is on Twitter.)
Anthony Christian Ocampo’s book provides more context for the brown and gay male experience, specifically for those who are sons of immigrants. Growing up, many of the men who were interviewed in this book didn’t have a lot of people in their lives who were going through the same thing they were going through. This book serves to explore the variety of experiences they went through, from early childhood into adulthood and offer necessary representation for brown, gay sons of immigrants.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Fantasticland
This book is a weird one, but I really enjoyed it?
If you’re one of those people who is really into Disneyland/Disney World lore (the tunnels, hauntings, behind the scenes stuff) and you’re also into horror and gore, this is probably the book for you.
Fantasticland is a theme park in Florida that is similar to Disney World and Universal Studios. From the beginning, the park was an accident waiting to happen. It was built very close to the ocean, despite warnings that it could endure a lot of damage in the event of a hurricane.
The owner of the park didn’t want this to interfere with the illusion of the park, so he continued to build it close to the ocean. He brought in experts to create an extensive emergency plan and essentially disaster-proof the park. This included creating tunnels underneath the park with emergency supplies, so anyone who was stuck in the park had enough food and water for at least a few days. He also formed a crew of staff members who agreed to be paid to stay in the tunnels if a natural disaster happened, so they could protect the park from looters.
The worst case scenario happens, and about 400 people agree to stay behind. They end up being stranded longer than they anticipated, and as a result, they begin to fight for survival. The book is told in interview format, with the “author” interviewing different experts and members of the staff. There is a lot of mystery when it comes to what actually happened since everyone obviously has a different take on what occurred.
If you’re not into gore, this may not be your book, but if you can stomach a Lord of the Flies-esque book that takes place in a theme park, I think you’ll enjoy it.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
